As part of its “Impact of Design” case study series, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) has released an in-depth look at a unique Austin, TX home that fuses sustainability and health principles with comfort and beauty. The home is owned and designed by Laura Britt, ASID. Britt used healthy and sustainable design strategies in the architecture, spatial layout, and overall product selection, creating a healthy building inside and out. The WELL Building Standard was also referenced throughout, with a focus on air quality, energy efficiency, and water conservation.
the challenge of building a healthy, sustainable, smart, and high-performing home with a strong connection to the outdoors. Britt and her son also suffer from respiratory ailments, so she explored ways to overcome these through design. The final result, “Gradients of Green,” is a home for the modern family that highlights the rich benefits of thoughtful universal and green design innovations.
By using various healthy and sustainable design strategies in the architecture, spatial layout, and overall product selection, the project created a healthy building inside and out. The WELL Building Standard was referenced throughout, with a focus on air quality, energy efficiency, and water conservation. This holistic project achieves impressive results that prove the valuable, tangible impact of design, including:
– Reducing waste by donating original home to another family rather than adding demolition waste to the landfill.
– Producing more energy by solar array than consumed (from June 2017-May 2018, solar panels produced 14,040 KwH and the house consumed 11,093 KwH).
– Implementing a tankless water heater, only igniting when hot water is needed. This change uses less energy than a standard electric water heater and reduces CO 2 output compared to traditional tank heaters.
– Installing electrical lighting fixtures specified as LED for high efficiency purposes, using as little as 15% of the energy of conventional lighting with a life expectancy up to 50,000 hours.
For more information on the Gradients of Green home and its other elements, and explore the full case study, visit https://www.asid.org/impact-of-design/gradients-of-green.
About ASID
The American Society of Interior Designers believes that design transforms lives. ASID serves the full range of the interior design profession and practice through the Society’s programs, networks, and advocacy. We thrive on the strength of cross-functional and interdisciplinary relationships among designers of all specialties, including workplace, healthcare, retail and hospitality, education, institutional, and residential. We lead interior designers in shared conversations around topics that matter: from evidence-based and human centric design to social responsibility, well-being, and sustainability. We showcase the impact of design on the human experience and the value interior designers provide.
ASID was founded over 40 years ago when two organizations became one, but its legacy dates back to the early 1930s. As we celebrate nearly 85 years of industry leadership, we are leading the future of interior design, continuing to integrate the advantages of local connections with national reach, of small firms with big, and of the places we live with the places we work, play, and heal. Learn more at asid.org.